Sunday, March 30, 2008

The endless long winter is drawing to a close - the maple sap is running. This old fashioned sap collecting bucket (and many many of its brothers) is still in use at a private hobby farm near Crysler. They were boiling the first of the season's sap when we visited. Ah the smell of boiling maple sap, the promise of sticky sweet treats to come.

Thursday, March 27, 2008

When my oldest friend Jodi came to visit last November she brought me these beautiful ceramic angels. Jodi's always had a thing for angels. I loved the sculpture, and we laughed about which angel was her and which was me. Then I put it on the shelf in my living room and hadn't thought much about it until now.

Today Jodi joined the angels she's always loved. 18 months post transplant. I know that I'm supposed to be grateful for those 18 months, but mostly I feel cheated. 80% of lung transplant recipients live 8+ years past their transplants, and many live much longer.

I am grateful for our final weekend together. I did see her one last time before she passed, in the ICU in Toronto, but it's the two days of chatting, hugging and sharing tea that will always be, in my heart, my final visit with Jodi.

Now that she's gone I look again at this angel sculpture, only this time I really see it. Two angels, 'friends forever'. Thank you Jodi. Thank you for the angels to remind me of you, thank you for 17 years of friendship, 17 years of love. Thank you for being patient with me when I was selfish, for loving me when I was unlovable, for teaching me more than I can say. I miss you.

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Saturday, March 22, 2008

We took the bits bowling for this first time today. They enjoyed it (despite being distracted by air hockey tables and slushie machines), but I felt it in my arm and shoulder after just one game. Still, I'd like to take the bits again!

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Monday, March 17, 2008

I know, it's been a hard winter, the plows have worked non-stop, there's no time for caution, blah blah blah but SERIOUSLY people will you look at the size of this freakin' pothole??? And it's not even the worst I've seen!

(PS - if you work for the city of Ottawa this bad boy is on D'Aoust Avenue)

Sunday, March 9, 2008

Yup, came home to 53 cm of new snow on the ground. That's nearly two feet for the non-Metric among us. That's on top of the many feet already there. Really, what can you do but laugh (and grab a shovel). Here is our front walk, before and after (notice how dark the after picture is? Took quite a while to get through that snow...)

Friday, March 7, 2008

I'll spare you any more snow pictures today (if only because a MASSIVE storm is coming this weekend so there will likely be more snow shots to come) and instead present red licorice - fat free means I can eat the whole bag right?

Thursday, March 6, 2008

My neighbour's house - these are second floor windows people! At this rate we won't be rid of our snow until July! I think we should just declare all of March a snow month, and hermit ourselves away inside until Spring.